New police union president Wade Burns dismisses allegations of assault as ‘an internal workplace matter dealt with many years ago’ in new video message

New police union president Wade Burns has told members “I’ve never said I was a perfect person” in a new video message. Watch the full message here.

• Mutiny grips police union as delegates turn on new boss

Embattled police union president Wade Burns has dismissed allegations of indecent assault levelled against him as “an internal workplace matter that was dealt with many years ago” but told members “I’ve never said I was a perfect person”.

In a pre-recorded video message published on Thursday afternoon, Mr Burns said “many of the rumours alleged by my election opponents are simply untrue”.

“Let me be perfectly clear: I was never charged with an assault of any kind and that accusation, that false accusation, does not reflect who I am either as a person or as a leader,” he said.

“What’s more, what was referred to was an internal workplace matter dealt with many years ago but others have recycled it in an attempt to not only derail my ability to serve you as president, but also in an attempt to overturn the outcome of a democratic election. But I’m not going to allow that to happen.”

Wade Burns the new police union president sent a video message to members.

Under parliamentary privilege last month, independent MLC Frank Pangallo said Mr Burns – son of former police commissioner Gary Burns – was demoted from chief inspector to senior sergeant in 2017 after it was claimed he assaulted a then-civilian female SA Police employee at a social function.

Mr Pangallo said the matter was investigated internally, and Mr Burns accepted a set of agreed facts. He has never suggested Mr Burns was charged over the assault.

Several years later, Mr Burns was reinstated to the rank of inspector after he successfully appealed a SA Police decision not to promote him.

After Mr Burns told members in an email memo “this was not, nor was it ever, a criminal matter”, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens clarified a criminal investigation was commenced but the matter was not referred for prosecution on the wishes of the alleged victim.

He said Mr Burns may not have been aware of the criminal investigation.

In the video, Mr Burns told members the incident had been weaponised by “fanatical individuals” who were trying to undermine his campaign for president.

“Understand this: if this can happen to me, it can happen to you,” he said.

“It can happen to any police officer facing an internal workplace matter - whether that’s now, in the past or in the future.”

Mr Pangallo called the video “one of the most outrageous pieces of self-serving propaganda I’ve ever seen.”

Mr Burns was last week declared the winner of the presidential election by less than 50 votes over second-placed candidate Darren Cornell.

On Thursday, after the video was published, Mr Pangallo called it “one of the most outrageous pieces of self-serving propaganda I’ve ever seen” and said “the video makes his position even more untenable”.

“It is as if he did no wrong to be demoted. He still hasn’t explained, nor has he denied, the allegations of indecent assault,” he said.

“He has called it a workplace incident, so he’s totally dismissive of it. He’s shown no consideration for the victim here.”

Mr Pangallo said Mr Burns should push for the full investigation into the 2017 incident to be publicly released “so that we can see what kind of an incident this was”.

Originally published as New police union president Wade Burns dismisses allegations of assault as ‘an internal workplace matter dealt with many years ago’ in new video message